Life is change. We change moment to moment. Yet many times our lives feel static, as if things are fixed a certain way. I’ve always thrived on making change, oftentimes moving to a new home or even a new country. But at a certain point, that type of change becomes more difficult to accomplish.

And now with the Covid pandemic, even travel has become more challenging.

When we can’t make outer changes, we are compelled to make inner ones. Actually, inner change is also always happening, moment to moment, day to day. Moods fluctuate, bodily sensations shift, emotions come and go.

I believe a primary purpose in life is learning how to deal with these fluctuations, not letting them disturb or upset us, cultivating a peaceful inner state. I have a long way to go, but I’m realizing that how I live each day is all I can attempt to control.

In addition, Covid has brought an increased sense of isolation to many of us. We are not able to gather with friends and family the way we used to, or even attend concerts and other events. Now with the vaccines more places are accessible, but there is still a feeling of constriction and hesitation.

Some of us may feel alone and cut off.

There are ways to comfort ourselves, to work on our inner state. Notice your breath, make it softer. Become aware of the energy flowing through your inner body. Spend time in nature. Touch a tree and absorb its grounding energy. Be mindful of the small actions that make up your day.

Think of all the people with whom you are connected, even though you will never meet them, those who have provided you and all of us with food, homes, livelihood. And you have touched many others as well.

Remember that we are all part of an interconnected web of being. Each of us has a place in the great scheme of life. We have a purpose. We are not a fixed ‘thing.’ Each of us is a fluid ever-changing work in progress, and we can set an intention to accept the way things are and focus on the things that will make us feel better.

“When we are no longer able to change a situation….we are challenged to change ourselves.”-Viktor Frankl, Auschwitz prison camp survivor, psychiatrist, and author (1905-1997)